Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. with rack in centre of oven. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups and set on to a baking sheet. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, maple sugar, baking powder and salt. Blennd in butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces of butter. Add milk and stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Gently knead dough 8 to 10 times with floured hands on a lightly floured surface.Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 13 x 11-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over the dough and then sprinkle all over with maple sugar, pressing firmly on the sugar with your palm to help it stick to the butter.Beginning with one long side, roll up the dough tightly, jelly-roll style. Trim both ends slightly, to remove any uneven part of the roll, then cut the roll into 10-12 slices with a sharp knife (about 1-inch wide). Place slices cut side down in prepared muffin cups. Gather any maple sugar from your work surface and sprinkle on top of rolls. Fill any empty muffin cups 1/2 full with water, to ensure even cooking.

Bake in preheated oven with muffin tins on top of a baking sheet to catch any bubble overs, until rolls are puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool in the muffin tin for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool further.